What is the DBS, and is it the same as the CRB?
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is the body that processes criminal-record checks for employers in England and Wales. It replaced the old Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). If a job advert or a candidate still says "CRB check," they mean a DBS check. The DBS launched on 1 December 2012 as a merger of the CRB and the Independent Safeguarding Authority, so the older terminology lingers even though the organisation changed.
A DBS check tells you about an applicant's criminal record at the level your role qualifies for. It doesn't make the hiring decision for you. The certificate is sent to the applicant, and you ask to see it.
DBS covers England and Wales. Scotland uses Disclosure Scotland, and Northern Ireland uses AccessNI. If you hire across borders, you can't assume one English certificate covers a role based elsewhere. Check the right scheme for the location where the person works.
What are the levels of DBS check?
There are four levels, and the one you can request depends on the role. GOV.UK puts it plainly: "The DBS check you can get depends on the role." You don't choose the level to suit yourself; the role's eligibility sets it.
A Basic check shows unspent convictions and conditional cautions. Anyone can request one for any role. A Standard check shows spent and unspent convictions and cautions. An Enhanced check adds "any information held by local police that's considered relevant to the role." An Enhanced check with barred list information also tells you whether the applicant is on the list of people barred from doing that type of work, which matters for roles in regulated activity such as some healthcare and childcare posts.
Get the level wrong and the consequences cut both ways. Request a higher level than the role qualifies for and DBS won't process it. Request too low a level for a safeguarding role and you may miss barred-list information you were entitled to see.
| Check level | What it shows | Who can get it | Fee (from 2 Dec 2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Unspent convictions and conditional cautions | Any role | £21.50 |
| Standard | Spent and unspent convictions and cautions | Eligible roles only (set by the role) | £21.50 |
| Enhanced | Standard information plus relevant local police information | Eligible roles only (set by the role) | £49.50 |
| Enhanced with barred list | Enhanced information plus whether the person is barred | Regulated activity roles only | £49.50 |
Who decides if someone is eligible for a Standard or Enhanced check?
The role decides, not the employer's preference and not the candidate's wishes. Eligibility for Standard, Enhanced, and barred-list checks is fixed in law against the specific job. A care home can get Enhanced checks with barred list information for care workers. A retail shop generally cannot get the same for a shop assistant, because the role isn't in regulated activity.
This is where employers slip up. Wanting reassurance isn't the same as being legally entitled to a check. If the role isn't eligible, the highest you can usually run is a Basic check, which any role qualifies for.
How you submit also depends on volume. Per GOV.UK, employers doing fewer than 100 checks a year must apply through an umbrella body; those doing 100 or more can register with DBS directly or still use an umbrella body. Either way, the role's eligibility is what gates the level you're allowed to request.
Does a DBS check expire after three years?
No. This is the most common DBS myth, and it's worth stating flatly: there is no statutory expiry date on a DBS certificate. GOV.UK confirms it: "A DBS check has no official expiry date. Any information included will be accurate at the time the check was carried out. It's up to you to decide when a new check is needed."
So where does "three years" come from? From employer and regulator policy, not legislation. Many organisations choose a three-year refresh cycle as a sensible internal standard, and some sector bodies recommend one. That's a policy decision you own, document, and apply consistently.
The practical point is that the certificate is a snapshot taken on the day it was issued, so a five-year-old certificate tells you nothing about the past five years. The risk isn't that a certificate "expires." It's that it ages, and your policy is the only thing deciding when that staleness becomes unacceptable. Write the policy down, justify the interval, and apply it to everyone in the same role.
What is the DBS Update Service and how does it work?
The DBS Update Service is an online subscription that keeps a Standard or Enhanced certificate current and lets you, with the worker's consent, check its status online for free. It costs £16 per year, and it's free for people who meet the DBS definition of a volunteer. Basic checks can't use it; GOV.UK states the service "is for standard and enhanced DBS checks only. You cannot subscribe with a basic DBS check."
The applicant must subscribe within 30 days of the date of issue on their certificate. Miss that window and they'd need a fresh check before they can join. Once subscribed, they can take the certificate from role to role.
With the worker's permission, you carry out a status check using their 12-digit certificate reference number, last name, and date of birth in DD/MM/YYYY format. You don't pay or register to do this, and results appear straight away. There are three possible outcomes.
What does an Update Service status check actually tell you?
A status check returns one of three results, and each has a clear next step.
The first tells you the certificate "did not reveal any information and remains current as no further information has been identified since its issue." The original certificate still reflects what DBS holds, and you can rely on it for an eligible role at the same level.
The second is "This DBS certificate is no longer current. Please apply for a new DBS check to get the most up-to-date information." That means new information has surfaced since the certificate was issued. You can't see what it is from the status check; you ask the applicant to apply for a fresh check.
The third is "The details entered do not match those held on our system." Re-enter the reference number, surname, and date of birth carefully before assuming anything is wrong.
There is an important limit. The Update Service only works at the same level and type as the original certificate. If a worker moves into a role needing a barred-list check and their certificate didn't include one, a status check won't fill that gap. You'll need a new application at the correct level.